A multicenter cross-sectional French study of the impact of COVID-19 on neuromuscular diseases
Lucie I. Pisella, Sara B. Fernandes, Guilhem Solé, Tanya Stojkovic, Céline Tard, Jean‐Baptiste Chanson, Françoise Bouhour, Emmanuelle Salort‐Campana, Guillemette Beaudonnet, Louise Debergé, Fanny Duval, Aude‐Marie Grapperon, Marion Masingue, Aleksandra Nadaj‐Pakleza, Yann Péréon, Frédérique Audic, Anthony Béhin, Diane Friedman, Armelle Magot, J.-B. Noury, Sarah Souvannanorath, Karim Wahbi, Jean‐Christophe Antoine, Kévin Bigaut, Jean-Philippe Camdessanché, Pascal Cintas, Rabab Debs, Caroline Espil‐Taris, Laurent Kremer, Thierry Küntzer, Pascal Laforêt, Vincent Laugel, Martial Mallaret, Maud Michaud, Sylvain Nollet, Juliette Svahn, Savine Vicart, Rocío N. Villar‐Quiles, Isabelle Desguerre, David Adams, Sandrine Ségovia-Kueny, Géraldine Merret, Elhadi Hammouda, Annamaria Molon, Shahram Attarian
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Due to their health condition, patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) are at greater risk of developing serious complications with COVID-19. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of COVID-19 among NMD patients and the risk factors for its impact and severity during the first wave of the pandemic. Clinical data were collected from NMD-COVID-19 patients, between March 25, 2020 and May 11, 2020 in an anonymous survey carried out by expert physicians from the French Health Care Network Filnemus. RESULTS: Physicians reported 84 patients, including: 34 with myasthenia gravis, 27 with myopathy and 23 with neuropathy. COVID-19 had no effect on NMD for 48 (58%) patients and 48 (58%) patients developed low COVID-19 severity. COVID-19 caused the death of 9 (11%) NMD patients. Diabetic patients were at greater risk of dying. Patients with diabetes, hypertension or severe forms of NMD had a higher risk of developing a moderate or severe form of COVID-19. In our cohort, corticosteroids and other immunosuppressants were not significantly associated with higher COVID-19 severity for acquired NMD. CONCLUSION: During this period, a small percentage of French NMD patients was affected by COVID-19 compared to the general French population and COVID-19 had a limited short-term effect on them. Diabetes, hypertension and a severe degree of NMD were identified as risk factors of unfavorable outcome following COVID-19. Conversely, in our cohort of patients with acquired NMD, corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants did not appear to be risk factors for more severe COVID-19.